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| Add System Sounds |
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System & Software November 2000 • Vol.6 Issue 11 Page(s) 101 in print issue |
Add System Sounds | ||
 Many users take the time to pick out custom wallpaper and a special screen saver to make their computer their own special device. While you may not know it, you can also change the sounds that your computer uses. The process is so quick and easy that you can frequently switch between several different sets of sounds. Windows has a list of events, such as maximizing a window or a program error, for which it can play a sound. Other programs can add their own events, such as receiving mail or spotting a virus. Most users do not want their computer beeping and chiming all the time so, by default, only a few of these events have a sound associated with them. Windows plays a sound by playing a WAV (sound) file. When one of these events occurs, Windows checks to see if a WAV file has been associated with it and, if so, it plays it. Windows comes with a number of WAV files for just this purpose. However, the really neat thing about Windows sound is you can download WAV files and use them, so you can customize your system sound. If you search the Internet, you will find literally millions of WAV files you can download and use. You can find everything from Star Trek phasers firing to cartoon characters speaking to motors roaring and everything in between.  Record Your Own. Not only can you download WAV files off the Internet but you can also record your own. All you need is a microphone that plugs into your sound card. To record, just click the Start button; select Programs, Accessories; and then choose Multimedia in Windows 95 or Entertainment in Windows 98. Choose Sound Recorder. This starts the Sound Recorder. Click the Record button to begin and use the microphone to capture your sound. Once you are finished, click the Stop button and then save the sound as a WAV file. If there is a special sound you want to record that you cannot get to your computer, record it to a cassette recorder and then use the recorder to replay the sound into the microphone. Using this approach, you can capture sound from radio or television or from outside. Once you have downloaded or created the sounds, you simply attach them to specific events within Windows. To do this, use the Sounds applet in the Control Panel. To start it, click Start, Settings, Control Panel and double-click Sounds. This brings up the Sounds Properties dialog box. At the bottom of the dialog box is the name of the current sound scheme you are using. Windows comes with six ready-made schemes: Windows Default, Jungle, Musica, Robotz, Utopia, and No Sounds. You can save as many more as you like. Switching between schemes is as easy as clicking the drop-down button and selecting a new scheme from the list. This makes it quick and easy to switch schemes, say from a noisy one during the day to no sound at night. In the top part of the dialog box is the list of events. You scroll through this list to highlight the event for which you want to change the sound. The speaker symbol shows you which events currently have a sound assigned. Once you highlight an event, the middle of the dialog box shows the WAV file that currently plays for that event. Just click the Browse button to search for a new WAV file to use. Once you find a potential file, the button to the right of the Preview box lets you listen to it. You want to use short sounds. Longer sound clips can interrupt functions or keep you from using the computer right away. Also, a sound that sounded funny at first will quickly become annoying as you hear it dozens of times a day, so pick your sounds carefully or plan on changing them frequently. Once you have assigned sounds to those events you want to announce themselves, you can click the Save As button to save the current configuration as a named scheme so you can easily switch back to it in the future. Click OK and then close the Control Panel. Troubleshooting Sounds. Here's a quick checklist for some of the most common sound-related problems and their solutions. No WAV files. You either did not install them with Windows or erased them afterward. Rerun the Windows installation program and reinstall the sound files. No sound. Most sound cards can only play sounds from one source, so if you are playing music, you will not hear system sounds. You also might need to take the cover off your PC and make sure the card is seated correctly. No sound for one event. Most likely, the WAV file for that event has been erased or damaged, so change the WAV file assigned to it. Sounds too loud or too quiet. You control system sound volume by the volume setting on your speakers, not by the computer, so adjust your speakers.  by Ronny Richardson
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